LONGUEUIL, QUEBEC--(CCNMatthews - Oct. 15, 2005) - Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) is expecting thousands of visitors during the 2005 Open House being held this weekend at the company's Longueuil facilities to highlight the global aerospace leader's commitment to innovation.

P&WC's Open House, held at company facilities across Canada and elsewhere in the world, provides employees with a special opportunity to bring family and friends to their workplace. It also gives P&WC customers, partners and members of the community a chance to see first-hand the latest technologies used by P&WC to remain a world leader.

"We are the No. 1 R&D investor in Canada's aerospace sector and among the top five among all industries combined. We invest an average of $2 million per working day in research and development to discover and develop power solutions that meet the needs of our customers," said Alain M. Bellemare, President, P&WC. In partnership with the governments and universities, this commitment to innovation has enabled the company to introduce 45 new engines in the past 10 years. More than 20 new engines are currently in development.

P&WC is marking an important milestone in its history this year: the production of its 60,000th engine in Canada. It's estimated that every two seconds an aircraft powered by a P&WC engine takes off or lands somewhere around the globe.

During guided tours of P&WC's facilities in Longueuil and St. Hubert, visitors can view leading-edge production equipment, computer-assisted design systems, advanced engine test cells, and static displays of aircraft equipped with P&WC engines.

P&WC's Longueuil facilities total more than 1.5 million square feet and employ more than 5,000 people. It is home to the company's main manufacturing operations, production engine assembly and test, and parts and accessories repairs. In addition, it houses one of the Canadian innovation centres, including product engineering research and development and manufacturing technology development.

P&WC's St. Hubert Service Centre is the company's main service centre for engine repair and overhaul activities, with more than 900 engines processed each year. It has five state-of-the-art test cells for PT6A and PW100 turboprop series engines, as well as test cells for the PT6T and PW200 turboshaft engines. It also houses P&WC's main customer training centre.

Open Houses are also being held this weekend at P&WC facilities in Mississauga, Ontario, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. An Open House was held at P&WC's facility in Lethbridge, Alberta on October 1.

P&WC, based in Longueuil, Quebec, is a world leader in aviation engines powering business, general aviation and regional aircraft, and helicopters. The company also offers advanced engines for industrial applications. P&WC's operations and service network span the globe. P&WC is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation (NYSE:UTX), a high-technology company based in Hartford, Connecticut.